Wilted Rose
by Caitlynbug1
Summary: Team RWBY was sent on a simple mission to clear out Grimm. It would be easy for a group of two year students, especially for a team who were as skilled as the four. The odds were in the team's favor. But, as they were cutting the Grimm down, something went wrong. Rated T for language, violence, and character death.


Team RWBY was sent on a simple mission to clear out Grimm. It would be easy for a group of two year students, especially for a team who were as skilled as the four. There were only a few of the monsters, a couple of Beowolves, some Ursi, and two Nevermores were surrounding the girls. The odds were in the team's favor. But, as they were cutting the Grimm down, something went wrong.

"Ruby! Let's get the Beowolves then we would only have to really watch out for the Nevermores!" Yang shouted. She was sending round after round to the giant black bird-like creatures.

"That's a good idea Yang!" Ruby yelled back. She gathered up her semblance, preparing to rush at the beasts, seeing Weiss throw out a barrage of ice at the Ursi. She launched herself to the Grimm, using Crescent Rose to make herself faster. She threw her weapon in front of her, getting ready to lop off the head of the closest Grimm. Blake suddenly appeared at her side, swinging Gambol Shroud expertly. Together they two zipped around the monsters, slicing their most vulnerable spots. Yang was keeping the Nevermores busy while Weiss was steadily shooting ice and fire to keep back the Ursi and making sure the Beowolves were staying in one spot and not sneaking up on her teammates.

One of the Beowolves swung an armored paw at the girl in red, hitting her in her stomach and making her fly across the big clearing they were fighting in. She hit the ground and skidded to a stop, her weapon still in hand. She threw her free hand in the air, her hand in a fist with her thumb stuck out. She giggled playfully, the way Ruby would, and she sat up quickly.

"I'm good!" She fell back into the ground and threw her legs into the air, then swinging them back down, she planted her feet and threw herself up. Ruby landed on her feet and stuck out her arms to balance herself, Crescent Rose's tip in the ground. She wrenched the blade from the earth and swung it around herself, once again preparing her semblance.

"RUBY! LOOK OUT!" Yang's cry sounded through their battleground and her sister turned to see what was wrong. She turned about halfway before she stopped abruptly. Her eyes grew wide and she gasped before her knees buckled. Ruby hung limply on the shaft of a Nevermores feather, the black plume shone in the sun, giving it a deadly look. Ruby's hands grasped weakly at the feather that went through her stomach. She coughed, blood pooling out of her mouth and staining her clothes. Her entire combat skirt was dyed a deep red, splotches showing the actual color of the fabric.

"RUBY!" Yang screamed, taking her eyes off of the Grimm, about to run to her sister before Weiss yelled for her to stop.

"We need to take out the Grimm first!" Tears were running down her face and her teeth were clamped shut. She looked at the remaining monsters and started going on the offensive, fighting next to Blake who also had tears of her own. She was growling out insults to the creatures with every blow she dealt. Yang bellowed out a curse, her hair becoming flames as her eyes grew the same shade of red as the blood of her sister. Weiss and Blake soon killed the rest of the land Grimm before moving to help Yang. They disposed of the flying creatures quickly and rushed over to help their fallen leader.

"Ruby! Ruby! You're going to be okay. You've g-got to be okay. Y-Your big sis won't let you d-die. R-Ruby…" Yang fell to her knees and held onto Ruby's hand, trying not to look at the giant wound protruding from the younger girl's abdomen. Ruby slightly turned her head to look at her teammates, her eyes glazed and wide with fear and pain.

"No…" Weiss covered her mouth with one hand and she quickly dug through her pockets to find her scroll with the other. She contacted Ozpin as fast as she could and spoke into it quickly and quietly.

Blake stood frozen next to Ruby, her own golden eyes wide. She was trembling and her bow was flattened against her head.

"Y-Ya… ng. Bl… a… ke. Wei.. ss. Plea… se... K-Ki… ll... Me." Ruby's eyes glazed over more until her tears spilled over, the salty liquid mixing with her blood.

"No! You are going to be alright! Ozpin is coming! You. Will. Not. Die!" Weiss almost screamed.

"It… hurts… pai...n… too… much. Please." Her eyes closed and barely opened again. Her aura was seen surrounding her, her own body trying to heal the gaping hole.

"Ruby. Please don't give your life up. We need you. Bare with the pain for a little while longer. Please." Yang begged, gently squeezing her hand. She had to refrain from tugging her arm stubbornly like she always did to get her sister's attention.

"We will not kill you. It is disrespectful to a wonderful person." Weiss said, throwing her weapon to the side.

"Not… dis… re…" Ruby took in a shuddering breath before continuing, "Be… Favo-" She stopped in the middle of a word when a cough shook her body. Blood pooled out of her mouth, splattering onto the ground in front of her and onto Yang's hand clasped around her own. She breathed in again, the air sounding forced and gurgly.

"Oh no."

"What? What is worse than this?!" Yang's eyes snapped over to Blake who had finally spoken.

"Her lungs are filling with blood. Yang, if Ozpin doesn't get here soon, Ruby will die." Blake fell to the ground, her own legs unable to support her.

"How? Her lungs are in her chest!"

"Every time Ruby breathes, blood flows into her lungs. Yang she is killing herself by trying to stay alive." Weiss answered for the dark haired girl who suddenly couldn't talk anymore.

"No… Damnit Ruby! You need to live! I can't lose you too! M-My mom and your mom… IF YOU GO I WILL ONLY HAVE DAD!"

"Z...wei… Weiss… Bla… ke… Jau… ne… Py...Pyrrha… No...ra… Ren…" Ruby coughed again, more blood trickling down her chin as she screwed her eyes shut.

"Ruby-" Weiss was cut off when suddenly the girl in red was overcome with a series of coughs. She kept trying to cry out in pain but soon after the first hack, another one took its place.

"Shit! Ruby you need to take a deep breath! Coughing is making you worse!" Blake ran over and lightly placed her hand on Ruby's shaking shoulder. Her muscles were contracting on themselves, trying to push out the blood in her lungs, but only making more blood rush out around the shaft of the feather. Ruby's eyes flew open, her pupils dilated and her mouth open with air rushing in and out. Soon, coughing seemed to be too much for the young leader and the hacks were replaced with wheezing breaths.

"Where is Ozpin?!" Yang screamed to the sky. She hated seeing her sister in pain, especially in pain that could kill her. She also hated the bright red shaft of the feather stuck through Ruby, but they all knew that if they took it out, Ruby could very well bleed to death in a matter of seconds. "Give me your scroll!" Yang yanked the device out of Weiss' hand and punched in a number before holding it a distance from her face. Ozpin answered soon after the first ring, his face scrunched in worry when he saw Yang's red eyes glaring at him on the screen.

"Miss Xiao Long. Why did you feel the need to call me? I have already sent medical personnel to your aid. Also may I ask why you have taken Miss Schnee's scroll instead of using yours?"

"BECAUSE I HAVE ONE HAND. THE OTHER IS IN MY DYING SISTER'S! WHY DON'T YOU SEE FOR YOURSELF?" Yang shouted into it, and flipped the scroll in Ruby's direction so Ozpin could see.

"Oh my… I did not know it was this severe. I will certainly tell the medical team to be prepared." He said before the scroll went blank and Yang proceed to crush the device.

"Please…" Ruby wheezed.

"Please what Ruby? What do you need?" Yang asked with sincerity. She looked directly in her sister's eyes through both of their tears.

"Kill… me…"

"Like hell!" Yang tried to growl out the two words she answered with but could not, her voice wavering.

"Yang… I'm dying… any… way… just… p-put me… out… of my… mis… ery."

"You are not going to die! Ruby stop saying that!"

"It's going to… be okay… Yang. You… have every… one looking… out for you." Through her pain and blood stained face, Ruby smiled. It was not forced, her love showing in her bloodied teeth as she put all effort in that one small gesture.

"Ruby…" The Blonde's tough face broke, her mouth no longer twisted in a stubborn grimace. She lifted her free hand up to rest on her sister's chest, right over her heart. "Look. I can feel your heart beat. You are alive. And you are going to stay that way. So please, stop asking me to kill you. I won't do it. Your heart beating is a beautiful thing and I want it to stay in this world."

The girl in red sighed, closing her eyes and letting her head fall. She weakly squeezed Yang's hand before lifting her head once again. "When... are… they gonna… get here?" She asked, giving up. She had no strength left to fight.

"I don't know. I hope it's soon." Weiss said, looking at the sky for any sign that an airship was heading their way. The icy girl crouched down next to Yang who had sat on the ground, stubbornly holding Ruby's hand and refusing to let it go. "Yang. How slow was her heart beat?" She whispered.

"Really slow Weiss. It was barely there." The blonde whispered back, her voice cracking. Vibrant blue looked up into the silver eyes that were no longer silver. Weiss' brow creased further when she noticed that Ruby's shining silver eyes were a dull grey.

"Weiss… stop doing… that." Ruby whispered. She slightly turned her head to look over at her partner.

"What do you mean? I have not done anything."

"Looking at… m-me… like… that." Weiss flinched when she realized that every time she found something about Ruby that had changed in the past few minutes, she made a face.

"Sorry." Weiss got up out of her crouch and paced for a few seconds, coming to a halt in front of her teammates. She looked up into the sky, then down at her weapon. Weiss came to a silent agreement and she ran over to the rapier. Picking it up, she flipped the dial on the hilt. She closed her eyes, channeling her aura to aid her with the dust, the blade beginning to glow. The icy girl then moved her arm to make her weapon thrust into the sky, shooting a tower of fire above them. Weiss kept doing the same with many of her different dust elements before she dropped the rapier. "There. Maybe they saw that."

"Thanks Weiss." Yang said.

"Don't mention it."

"Guys… I want… to say-"

"No. Save your energy Ruby. You don't have to say anything right now. You can tell us later."

"No… I have… to. You are… my best… friends." Ruby's voice kept getting more and more raspy, the little energy she had left was leaving her. "My… time at.. Beacon… was great… just wish… I could… ha-… known you… guys longer. Weiss, you… always… made sure… I was doing… the right… thing. You were… kinda like… my mother… at times. Blake, you… let me… have my fun… let me… borrow books… and touch… your… ears. Yang, you are… the best sister… ever… I love you sis."

"Ruby stop saying those things! You don't have to tell us what you love about us! You can show us once you have recovered!" Yang stood and lightly squeezed Ruby's hand, holding it over her heart. "Look at me. Can you feel my heart? Its beating and as long as this heart is pumping, I won't let you go."

"Yang. I can't… see anything… only colors. Everything… is blurry. Feeling… in my… hand… is gone."

"Fine. I can assure you it's still there. And so is yours. Now we both need to fight to keep it that way." Ruby fell silent, the only indicator that she was still alive was the wheezing and gurgling noises. Soon, Ruby's breathing got slower and more quiet, her eyes becoming cloudy.

"Ruby. Ruby listen to me. You need to stay alive. Keep breathing." Weiss said, tears once again forming in her eyes. The girl in red gave no response, her gasps for air being more and more labored as time went on.

"Ruby please try to stay alive. We all need you." Blake whimpered through her tears as she sat on her knees where she had collapsed.

"So… rry." She whispered. The leader's eyes closed and she fell limp, her inhale and exhale forced. Ruby's wheezing got deeper and longer, with more spacing in between. She took in a long, raspy breath and let it out in a huff.

"Ruby?" Yang received no answer from her sister. "RUBY?!" She stood quickly, her hand still grasped in the young leader's. "Ruby c'mon don't do this! You can't do this to me!" She ground her teeth together, tears spilling over and running down her cheeks.

"Ruby! Open your eyes! Please!" Weiss got up from where she was sitting and placed one hand on Ruby's shoulder. Blake said nothing, only staring in horror at her leader.

"Some one help! My sister isn't breathing! Weiss what do I do?!" Yang wailed, her voice carrying through the trees.

"I don't think there's anything you can do…"

"What kind of big sister am I if I can't save her?!"

"You can't Yang. Ruby is dead." Blake whispered, still in the exact spot she had remained ever since they killed the Grimm.

"DAMNIT!" Yang ripped the feather out of her sister's abdomen and hugged her, refusing to let her go. She slid to the ground, holding Ruby close. She made no attempt to quiet her crying, which made the other two members of team RWBY start bawling harder. After a few minutes, the three heard the unmistakable sound of an airship. Yang's head snapped up from where it was resting on Ruby's shoulder. Her eyes turned red faster than any of them had ever seen, and her hair started igniting.

"Yang. Calm down please." Weiss sniffled, also hating that the paramedics took so long.

"Those bastards. IF THEY HAD GOTTEN HERE FASTER, MY SISTER WOULD STILL BE ALIVE!" The airship landed quickly and a few EMT's jumped out and started rushing over to the four. Yang clutched Ruby closer to her as she glared.

"Who is injured? How bad are their injuries?" One asked as they ran.

"She is right here. And her injuries are FUCKING FATAL!" Yang growled out, making them flinch.

"May we take her?"

"NO YOU MAY FUCKING NOT!" The angered blonde shouted. She looked like she was trying to protect her sister's body from the people who were sent to help her. She shifted her hold and dug through her pockets, locating her scroll. She jammed in a few numbers and let it ring before Ozpin picked up. "Hey Ozpin. Guess what."

"What is it Miss Xiao Long?" Yang shifted the camera from her face to Ruby. She made sure to get the younger girl's wound in the camera to show Ozpin exactly how she had been killed.

"If these bastards had gotten here faster, Ruby might still be alive. Her life was literally in their hands and they just let her go." Yang's voice was thick with malice. They all knew she wanted to get up and pound some faces in but she just couldn't bring herself to let go of Ruby. She threw the scroll away from her and one of the paramedics picked it up. She looked over to her remaining teammates to see them being helped up and led to the airship. She stared after them in confusion until a hand was carefully thrust into her vision.

"We would like to take you back to beacon now."

"Go to hell."

"Miss, all we want to do is take you home."

"All you want to do is take Ruby away from me." Yang wrapped her other hand around the leader to show she was not letting go.

"I will not take Ruby away. Now please let me take you to the airship."

"Yang please. We are all tired and all I want to do right now is sleep. Maybe forget this all happened and have a nice dream where Ruby is happily running around our dorm." Blake muttered sadly.

"Fine." Yang glared at the hand until it was drawn back. She stood on her own, wobbling a bit from exhaustion but she still refused any help. She walked to the airship on her own and sat down in the very corner, away from anyone. She had her face buried in her sister's collar the entire ride home, her hair fanning over the two of them. She looked absolutely miserable and sounded even more so with the tiny hiccups and whimpers coming from her.

When they arrived at Beacon, Yang still refused anyone to touch her except for Weiss and Blake. Together, the three prepared her funeral. After Ruby was buried, Team WBY just about shut down. Yang would become agitated faster and Blake just about stopped talking altogether. Weiss had started wearing her partner's red and black boots, and she even started putting more red into her uniforms. Yang had pinned the rose brooch onto her scarf she wore, and Blake always pinned the red cape onto her uniform, often hiding in it.

As a surprise, Team JNPR made a stand for Crescent Rose to sit and it now was always hung in front of their window. Team WBY stayed in Beacon, soon becoming the best Huntresses in honor of what Ruby had always wanted to become. The three had begged Ozpin after their ceremony to make Ruby an honorary Huntress, and he did. Ozpin even went as far as making a statue in her honor, a silver form with a metal cape behind her as she swung a scythe around. The team could ask for nothing more other than to have their leader back.

* * *

**Author's Note: Alright so I'm pretty sure we all know of Monty. I felt like writing something really depressing so I came up with this. After having this story deleted by one of my friends who was pretty mad that I killed Ruby, I got it back and quickly posted it on here so he can't get to it. Hope you guys like this (Or don't like it if you don't like Ruby dying...) **


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